Well, it was a busy week. Let’s look at what you may have missed.
On Sunday, we started with reviewing the important of National Minority Organ Donor Awareness Month. Over 56% of people on the national organ transplant waiting list are minorities. Consider checking in at http://organdonor.gov/becomingdonor/stateregistries.html.
On Monday, we reviewed human bites, which involve any lesion caused by your teeth that breaks the skin. These range from over aggressive hickeys to the Mike Tyson variety to lesions caused by punching someone in the teeth. We posted your FAQs separately here. My bottom line is you need to get evaluated every bite (that breaks the skin) every time.
On Tuesday, we reviewed alcohol intoxication, abuse and dependency and gave you the tools to assess that all important question: Do You Drink Too Much? We included a special Alcohol Facts and Fiction post for your consideration. In case you were wondering, that beer belly isn’t from your beer and is the least of your worries, either from the alcohol or the belly sides of the equation.
On Wednesday, we went Back to the Future in discussing low back pain and identified life-threatening conditions associated with low back pain. Remember to lift with your knees instead of your back, and beware of night-time back pain or loss of motion, sensation, bowel and/or bladder control. You probably heard the word Cauda Equina for the first time.
On Thursday, we discussed spider bites, focusing on the Black Widow and Brown Recluse spiders. Do you remember what a volcano lesion is? We also discussed shingles and answered a lot of questions about the chickenpox and shingles vaccines. The Straight, No Chaser recommendation is to get them (the vaccines, not the diseases)!
On Friday, we busted a few myths about migraine headaches and discussed life-threatening conditions associated with headaches. I want you to remember the association between migraines, heart attacks and strokes. Review the list of ‘headache plus’ symptoms to prompt you to get immediately evaluated.
On Saturday, we taught you how to fall. Do you remember what FOOSH stands for? We also reviewed the causes and treatment of ingrown toenails. Sometimes the simplest advice is the best. Stop biting your toenails!
Thanks to all of you who have filled out the Straight, No Chaser survey. I hope you’re seeing improvements to your satisfaction. The Week in Review post is a direct result of your feedback. We have 500 followers now in a month, which isn’t bad for a blog on a topic that can be a boring as health and medicine. Thanks for your support and continued feedback.
Jeffrey E. Sterling, MD
